Slip below the noise of the day, past the thoughts in your mind and fall into the silence that settles gently as you descend
Murmuration
The tiring sun gently submerged behind darkening hills
leaving a peach-colored band across the faithful horizon,
layered below a fading blue sky.
I smiled, grateful for the elegant and peaceful
end to a good day, then, as I turned the evening sky
became peppered with thousands of starlings,
quickly coalescing into beautifully strange and
sinuous shapes in a mesmerizing dance of liquid delight.
The murmuration constantly transformed
with remarkable synchronization, as if it was
a conscious creature, folding into a whale,
then a prancing horse, now a dancing cloud.
The vast net of whirring birds gracefully shape-shifted,
endlessly evolving as a living canvas, backlit by the sunset.
Their enchanting movement defied logic with chaotic cohesion.
Every bird knew its purpose and when to change direction,
linked by instinct, connected by an invisible mesh of knowing,
united in flowing beauty.
Entranced by the unified flock, I was reluctant for the display to end,
but then, as quickly as the birds had appeared, they broke apart
and scattered, the spellbinding performance over, apart from
a small chirping cluster who settled along a power line
like a chorus of notes on sheet music, singing the close of the day
as if celebrating the glory of nature’s wonders.
leaving a peach-colored band across the faithful horizon,
layered below a fading blue sky.
I smiled, grateful for the elegant and peaceful
end to a good day, then, as I turned the evening sky
became peppered with thousands of starlings,
quickly coalescing into beautifully strange and
sinuous shapes in a mesmerizing dance of liquid delight.
The murmuration constantly transformed
with remarkable synchronization, as if it was
a conscious creature, folding into a whale,
then a prancing horse, now a dancing cloud.
The vast net of whirring birds gracefully shape-shifted,
endlessly evolving as a living canvas, backlit by the sunset.
Their enchanting movement defied logic with chaotic cohesion.
Every bird knew its purpose and when to change direction,
linked by instinct, connected by an invisible mesh of knowing,
united in flowing beauty.
Entranced by the unified flock, I was reluctant for the display to end,
but then, as quickly as the birds had appeared, they broke apart
and scattered, the spellbinding performance over, apart from
a small chirping cluster who settled along a power line
like a chorus of notes on sheet music, singing the close of the day
as if celebrating the glory of nature’s wonders.
Stories My Hands Tell
My hands look older now,
blue veins and white tendons more visible
beneath the loose and wrinkled skin.
The well-worn creases of my life
revealing character carved from
the tapestry of my experiences.
My hands are mirrors
reflecting who I am,
my years captured like crumpled paper,
a living map of my travels and travails,
woodcut pictures of my heart
and corrugated mind,
tenderly holding all my stories
without judgment or regret.
My hands speak to me
as if vocalising my efforts,
reminding me of the joys and sorrows
woven into my ageing skin,
offering a sense of reliability,
a reassurance you are in good hands,
and a promise I won't let you down.
blue veins and white tendons more visible
beneath the loose and wrinkled skin.
The well-worn creases of my life
revealing character carved from
the tapestry of my experiences.
My hands are mirrors
reflecting who I am,
my years captured like crumpled paper,
a living map of my travels and travails,
woodcut pictures of my heart
and corrugated mind,
tenderly holding all my stories
without judgment or regret.
My hands speak to me
as if vocalising my efforts,
reminding me of the joys and sorrows
woven into my ageing skin,
offering a sense of reliability,
a reassurance you are in good hands,
and a promise I won't let you down.
Forest
The sunlight splits and dapples
around the giant Red Cedar and Hemlock,
as you tread softly into the ancient gathering.
The air stills and grows heavier,
while a calm reverence settles in you,
slowing your steps, and raising your humbled gaze
to the majesty of their presence,
and the aura of their dignity.
Devoted and steadfast, these Guardians
of the earth have stood, faithful and patient
for a thousand years,
rooted in the harmony of the forest,
ensuring the cycle of life pulses and endures,
while people come and go,
distracted by their trivialities,
ignorant of nature’s lifespan,
and the connection of all living things.
Yet always a quiet invitation awaits,
to pause your preoccupation and listen
for the delicate, discerning wisdom of the trees.
To feel the grounded depth of the seasoned community,
the gentle swaying of leaf and needle
as branches beckon you like outstretched arms,
embracing your spirit, pulling you in
to the old ways of knowing,
as if welcoming you home.
around the giant Red Cedar and Hemlock,
as you tread softly into the ancient gathering.
The air stills and grows heavier,
while a calm reverence settles in you,
slowing your steps, and raising your humbled gaze
to the majesty of their presence,
and the aura of their dignity.
Devoted and steadfast, these Guardians
of the earth have stood, faithful and patient
for a thousand years,
rooted in the harmony of the forest,
ensuring the cycle of life pulses and endures,
while people come and go,
distracted by their trivialities,
ignorant of nature’s lifespan,
and the connection of all living things.
Yet always a quiet invitation awaits,
to pause your preoccupation and listen
for the delicate, discerning wisdom of the trees.
To feel the grounded depth of the seasoned community,
the gentle swaying of leaf and needle
as branches beckon you like outstretched arms,
embracing your spirit, pulling you in
to the old ways of knowing,
as if welcoming you home.
The Purity of Silence
Beneath the clamor of construction
and the exhausting traffic,
there it lies, powerfully quiet,
waiting patiently behind the chatter
and shriek of popular people
and the nagging of your busy schedule.
This shy and gentle permanence exists
invisible as the air you breathe,
and honest as a new day,
a trusting companion, willing to be found
if you seek it, if circumstances allow.
All this peace-filled state requires of you
is a small donation – a moment of your time,
and the entirety of your attention -
to create an undistracted presence
and a complete reduction to now.
Sink in, and slip below
the noise of the day,
past the thoughts in your mind
and fall into the silence
that settles gently as you descend,
offering a pause, a moment of perfect quiet
for you to enter calmly.
Let it embrace you
with simplicity and calm,
feel a cleansing into fresh purity
and harmonious solitude
Listen to what your life
is trying to tell you.
Feel the soft and soundless
blanket of love
that can only be discovered there.
and the exhausting traffic,
there it lies, powerfully quiet,
waiting patiently behind the chatter
and shriek of popular people
and the nagging of your busy schedule.
This shy and gentle permanence exists
invisible as the air you breathe,
and honest as a new day,
a trusting companion, willing to be found
if you seek it, if circumstances allow.
All this peace-filled state requires of you
is a small donation – a moment of your time,
and the entirety of your attention -
to create an undistracted presence
and a complete reduction to now.
Sink in, and slip below
the noise of the day,
past the thoughts in your mind
and fall into the silence
that settles gently as you descend,
offering a pause, a moment of perfect quiet
for you to enter calmly.
Let it embrace you
with simplicity and calm,
feel a cleansing into fresh purity
and harmonious solitude
Listen to what your life
is trying to tell you.
Feel the soft and soundless
blanket of love
that can only be discovered there.
From Complaining to Gratitude
There’s a turn I need to take,
a new direction that’s required.
There’s a commitment I can make,
to become the change I want to see,
with a shift in my mind,
and expansion of my heart.
By changing my perspective,
I can reshape my language
from judgement to empathy,
and arrogance to humility,
from anger to compassion,
and from complaining to gratitude.
But how do I begin such an
earnest need to adjust?
Perhaps with caring steps --
from speaking to listening,
from blaming to curiosity,
allowing the world to be what it is
to teach me, surprise me,
to open my mind and discover
the joy of being wrong,
and the delight of learning something new.
To break me open, allow a transition,
a move from intolerance to love,
revealing all the love I was born with,
helping me to cast aside the fears
I’ve learned, or assumed existed,
until I can emerge from the shadow
into the brightness of my own inspiration
allowing the fullness of my generosity
to help heal an anxious world.
a new direction that’s required.
There’s a commitment I can make,
to become the change I want to see,
with a shift in my mind,
and expansion of my heart.
By changing my perspective,
I can reshape my language
from judgement to empathy,
and arrogance to humility,
from anger to compassion,
and from complaining to gratitude.
But how do I begin such an
earnest need to adjust?
Perhaps with caring steps --
from speaking to listening,
from blaming to curiosity,
allowing the world to be what it is
to teach me, surprise me,
to open my mind and discover
the joy of being wrong,
and the delight of learning something new.
To break me open, allow a transition,
a move from intolerance to love,
revealing all the love I was born with,
helping me to cast aside the fears
I’ve learned, or assumed existed,
until I can emerge from the shadow
into the brightness of my own inspiration
allowing the fullness of my generosity
to help heal an anxious world.
Reflection Before Sleep
While a hidden thrush warbles the close of day,
a calming breeze strokes through the low evening light
as if asking for quiet.
The angle of the sun dips gently to the ground,
lengthening everything towards rest.
The earth sighs and settles in for the night,
and Jupiter winks its pale orange
down to the darkening land.
Time now for reflection before sleep.
A drift back or a glance forward
as we try to make sense of our day,
and wonder about days to come,
unsure if we’re doing things right,
questioning if we’re doing the right things.
The gravity of our responsibilities lays us down
but keeps us awake,
the static of the day echoing
in the precious space we have
in the moments before dreams.
We try to lighten our thoughts
and float into sleep,
squeezing our eyes, attempting
to let the unnecessary pieces of ourselves go,
curious about what would remain.
Perhaps the best of us,
a sense of our possibility
in this world
that no one has seen --
our essence, our spirit sensing
a way to help others.
Or maybe just love, to guide us home,
finding peace within
rather than somewhere out there.
Then, as we wonder if we’re in a dream,
and tiredness wins, we slip away,
and the thread is lost,
for now.
a calming breeze strokes through the low evening light
as if asking for quiet.
The angle of the sun dips gently to the ground,
lengthening everything towards rest.
The earth sighs and settles in for the night,
and Jupiter winks its pale orange
down to the darkening land.
Time now for reflection before sleep.
A drift back or a glance forward
as we try to make sense of our day,
and wonder about days to come,
unsure if we’re doing things right,
questioning if we’re doing the right things.
The gravity of our responsibilities lays us down
but keeps us awake,
the static of the day echoing
in the precious space we have
in the moments before dreams.
We try to lighten our thoughts
and float into sleep,
squeezing our eyes, attempting
to let the unnecessary pieces of ourselves go,
curious about what would remain.
Perhaps the best of us,
a sense of our possibility
in this world
that no one has seen --
our essence, our spirit sensing
a way to help others.
Or maybe just love, to guide us home,
finding peace within
rather than somewhere out there.
Then, as we wonder if we’re in a dream,
and tiredness wins, we slip away,
and the thread is lost,
for now.
Together on our Vulnerable World
All living things are connected,
precious and alive on this beautiful earth.
Humanity and nature integrated as one
in the vibrant system of our treasured planet.
Both are fragile yet resilient but
we seem to ignore the similarity, while
our stewardship falls short of requirements.
Every day we access the world
through mesmerizing screens
glowing in our eager hands,
addicted to the tsunami which
broadens our knowing and
connects us across the globe,
but also diminishes human relationships.
Our planet shrinks as we
connect through technology;
a gift for humankind but not a
replacement for the human bond.
We seem to have forgotten how closely
our lives touch one another
when we reach out, face to face,
with courage and kindness.
If we seek to understand each other
and truly listen, using the qualities
we were all born with, we can heal
relationships and work together with compassion
and caring to ensure humanity thrives and
nature is protected.
We seem to have forgotten our responsibility
to look after our beloved home.
Are we asleep at the wheel rather than
maintaining a loving relationship
with Mother Earth? Allowing catastrophes
such as the devastation of our forests,
the death of coral reefs and microplastics
poisoning marine life. We have much to change
as we shift from damaging our ecosystems
to nurturing our fragile sphere.
And yet despite our failings, nature self-heals
and survives; forests breathe while oceans rise and fall,
young saplings push willingly through the soil
as our cherished world turns faithfully every day.
We are truly blessed.
Our future is not promised to us,
we must consciously create it.
When we see ourselves in each other,
remembering we are all connected as one,
when love becomes stronger than fear,
and when we protect our environment
we may yet learn what it means
to live gently on this small planet,
and come together to nourish
our vulnerable world.
precious and alive on this beautiful earth.
Humanity and nature integrated as one
in the vibrant system of our treasured planet.
Both are fragile yet resilient but
we seem to ignore the similarity, while
our stewardship falls short of requirements.
Every day we access the world
through mesmerizing screens
glowing in our eager hands,
addicted to the tsunami which
broadens our knowing and
connects us across the globe,
but also diminishes human relationships.
Our planet shrinks as we
connect through technology;
a gift for humankind but not a
replacement for the human bond.
We seem to have forgotten how closely
our lives touch one another
when we reach out, face to face,
with courage and kindness.
If we seek to understand each other
and truly listen, using the qualities
we were all born with, we can heal
relationships and work together with compassion
and caring to ensure humanity thrives and
nature is protected.
We seem to have forgotten our responsibility
to look after our beloved home.
Are we asleep at the wheel rather than
maintaining a loving relationship
with Mother Earth? Allowing catastrophes
such as the devastation of our forests,
the death of coral reefs and microplastics
poisoning marine life. We have much to change
as we shift from damaging our ecosystems
to nurturing our fragile sphere.
And yet despite our failings, nature self-heals
and survives; forests breathe while oceans rise and fall,
young saplings push willingly through the soil
as our cherished world turns faithfully every day.
We are truly blessed.
Our future is not promised to us,
we must consciously create it.
When we see ourselves in each other,
remembering we are all connected as one,
when love becomes stronger than fear,
and when we protect our environment
we may yet learn what it means
to live gently on this small planet,
and come together to nourish
our vulnerable world.